All work deserves a wage

I saw last Sunday that the people of Vaud had agreed to introduce a cantonal minimum wage. As far as I can remember, our canton of Geneva also has such a wage. Is that the case, and if so, what are the differences between the two cantons?

Robert, Onex

Yes, Geneva has had a cantonal minimum wage in place since 2020. The canton of Vaud, for its part, has just taken an important first step, but the two systems remain very different at present.

In Geneva, the minimum wage is already a well-established feature of the economic landscape. The Labour Inspection and Labour Relations Act (LIRT) expressly provides for a minimum wage designed to combat poverty, promote social integration and contribute to the respect for human dignity. For 2026, it stands at 24.59 francs gross per hour and is indexed annually in line with changes in the cost of living.

In the canton of Vaud, the situation is more nuanced. In the referendum held on 14 June, voters approved the constitutional initiative enshrining the principle of a minimum wage in the cantonal constitution. However, they rejected both the legislative initiative and the State Council’s counter-proposal. The canton therefore now has a constitutional mandate, but as yet no implementing legislation. In other words, the principle has been established, but the practical details remain to be defined by the Grand Council.

However, the debates leading up to the vote reveal several differences from the Geneva model. The rate proposed in the canton of Vaud was 23 francs an hour, which is lower than the current minimum wage in Geneva. The Vaud proposals also provided for explicit exceptions for apprentices, certain trainees, people returning to work and underage workers.

Another important issue concerned collective labour agreements. The proposers wanted the statutory minimum wage to take precedence over collective agreements in all cases. The State Council’s counter-proposal, by contrast, gave priority to extended collective agreements and certain standard employment contracts. It was on this point, in fact, that the political debates were particularly heated.

For workers in Geneva, this vote serves as a kind of mirror. It brings to mind the debates that took place in our canton prior to the introduction of the minimum wage in 2020. The people of Vaud have now joined the ranks of the cantons that recognise this principle, but they have yet to define its exact parameters.

In short, Geneva already has a minimum wage in place that is regularly adjusted. In the canton of Vaud, the principle is now enshrined in the Constitution, but the legislative process is not yet complete. As is often the case in Switzerland, the popular vote has set the course. The task now is to chart the way forward.

Read Pascal Rytz's columns on Tribune de Genève